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UFC 314 LIVE: UK start time, fight card and how to follow as Alexander Volkanovski aims to reclaim featherweight title
Alexander Volkanovski will look to reclaim his UFC featherweight title when he headlines UFC 314 against Diego Lopes this weekend. The Australian lost his belt to Ilia Topuria in February 2024, and he hasn’t stepped back into the octagon for over a year since. Volkanovski is back to try and reclaim his featherweight beltGetty However, Topuria has vacated the title to move up to lightweight, and Volkanovski is returning to try and win it back one more time. He’s lost his last two bouts via knockout, and now he faces Lopes, who is on a five-fight win streak – last beating Brian Ortega in September. Elsewhere on the UFC 314 card, Paddy Pimblett is aiming to continue his unbeaten record against Michael Chandler. UFC 314: Date and how to follow This event will take place on Saturday, April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The preliminary action is expected to get started at around 10pm UK time, with the main event scheduled for approximately 4am. Fans can watch the prelims on the UFC Fight Pass and more details on how to sign up can be found here. Volkanovski vs Lopes and the other main card bouts will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and you can find out more here. talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with all the latest. To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM. Brazilian Lopes has lost just once in six UFC fightsGetty UFC 314: Fight card Subject to change Main card MAIN EVENT: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes – for vacant UFC Featherweight Championship Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes Preliminary card Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper Darren Elkins vs Julian Erosa Early preliminary card Sedriques Dumas vs Michal Oleksiejczuk Su Mudaerji vs Mitch Raposo Tresean Gore vs Marco Tulio Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan Pimblett can move into the top 10 UFC lightweight rankings with a win over ChandlerGetty UFC 314: What has been said? Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes 37-year-old Volkanovski is ‘not the same’ and will lose to Lopes this weekend. Cejudo told The Schmo: “I don’t think it’s the same Volk. I personally think Diego Lopes is gonna beat him. I really do. “But if Volkanovski does get it done, he gets it done. It’s not Ilia Topuria that he’s going to [have to] beat.” He added: “Volkanovski has done some amazing things at 145lbs, but he’s also gone through three losses. “Against the best in the world, but that’s still three, and two out of three were knockouts.” “I think his [Lopes’] pressure. I think he brings it early,” Cejudo continued. “Volkanovski will eventually give you distance. “You can only run for so long. Lopes is really good on bottom, so if Volkanovski does take him to the ground, this dude’s submission game is underrated.” Meanwhile, Pimblett recently threatened to bite off Chandler’s finger if he tries to bend the rules during their fight. The former Bellator lightweight champion has been accused of cheating numerous times during his UFC career. Dustin Poirier was left infuriated after Chandler fish hooked him and grabbed his glove during their all-action clash in November 2022. He also landed in hot water for hitting Charles Oliveira on the back of the head multiple times during their rematch last November. Ahead of his upcoming fight with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 on Saturday night, the allegations have grown louder, leading Chandler to address them. “I mean, the narrative is tough, man,” Chandler told MMA Fighting. “People don’t really know me. Unless you’re in my inner circle, you don’t know who I truly am outside of [being] in front of the camera. “People have their sneaky suspicions that I play nice in front of the camera, and I’m a bad guy behind the camera. “You’re always going to have those accusations, right? “But I know who I am, and I know who I am at my core; I’m a guy who tries to do things right, tries to treat people right, do things with honor and respect.” He added: “You’re in fight or flight. Things happen, so it’s a tough narrative.”
Alexander Volkanovski will look to reclaim his UFC featherweight title when he headlines UFC 314 against Diego Lopes this weekend.
The Australian lost his belt to Ilia Topuria in February 2024, and he hasn’t stepped back into the octagon for over a year since.
However, Topuria has vacated the title to move up to lightweight, and Volkanovski is returning to try and win it back one more time.
He’s lost his last two bouts via knockout, and now he faces Lopes, who is on a five-fight win streak – last beating Brian Ortega in September.
Elsewhere on the UFC 314 card, Paddy Pimblett is aiming to continue his unbeaten record against Michael Chandler.
UFC 314: Date and how to follow
This event will take place on Saturday, April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
The preliminary action is expected to get started at around 10pm UK time, with the main event scheduled for approximately 4am.
Fans can watch the prelims on the UFC Fight Pass and more details on how to sign up can be found here.
Volkanovski vs Lopes and the other main card bouts will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and you can find out more here.
talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with all the latest.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
UFC 314: Fight card
Subject to change
Main card
- MAIN EVENT: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes – for vacant UFC Featherweight Championship
- Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett
- Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva
- Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull
- Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes
Preliminary card
- Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson
- Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba
- Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper
- Darren Elkins vs Julian Erosa
Early preliminary card
- Sedriques Dumas vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Su Mudaerji vs Mitch Raposo
- Tresean Gore vs Marco Tulio
- Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan
UFC 314: What has been said?
Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes 37-year-old Volkanovski is ‘not the same’ and will lose to Lopes this weekend.
Cejudo told The Schmo: “I don’t think it’s the same Volk. I personally think Diego Lopes is gonna beat him. I really do.
“But if Volkanovski does get it done, he gets it done. It’s not Ilia Topuria that he’s going to [have to] beat.”
He added: “Volkanovski has done some amazing things at 145lbs, but he’s also gone through three losses.
“Against the best in the world, but that’s still three, and two out of three were knockouts.”
“I think his [Lopes’] pressure. I think he brings it early,” Cejudo continued. “Volkanovski will eventually give you distance.
“You can only run for so long. Lopes is really good on bottom, so if Volkanovski does take him to the ground, this dude’s submission game is underrated.”
Meanwhile, Pimblett recently threatened to bite off Chandler’s finger if he tries to bend the rules during their fight.
The former Bellator lightweight champion has been accused of cheating numerous times during his UFC career.
Dustin Poirier was left infuriated after Chandler fish hooked him and grabbed his glove during their all-action clash in November 2022.
He also landed in hot water for hitting Charles Oliveira on the back of the head multiple times during their rematch last November.
Ahead of his upcoming fight with Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 on Saturday night, the allegations have grown louder, leading Chandler to address them.
“I mean, the narrative is tough, man,” Chandler told MMA Fighting.
“People don’t really know me. Unless you’re in my inner circle, you don’t know who I truly am outside of [being] in front of the camera.
“People have their sneaky suspicions that I play nice in front of the camera, and I’m a bad guy behind the camera.
“You’re always going to have those accusations, right?
“But I know who I am, and I know who I am at my core; I’m a guy who tries to do things right, tries to treat people right, do things with honor and respect.”
He added: “You’re in fight or flight. Things happen, so it’s a tough narrative.”
